Todd Schwartz of OppFi

Fintech One•On•One

There are tens of millions of Americans who have limited access to credit. Those with thin files or FICO scores below 650 often have difficulty accessing credit. Many have to resort to payday loans or pawn shops when they incur an unexpected expense. But there are fintech companies whose sole focus is serving this population with affordable credit access.

My next guest on the Fintech One-on-One podcast is Todd Schwartz, the CEO and Founder of OppFi. OppFi has been around since 2011 (they have a fascinating founding story) and are now a public company that has helped more than 1.3 million people with affordable loans. I did have the previous CEO, Jared Kaplan, on the show in 2020, but this is the first time I have had the founder on.

In this podcast you will learn:

• The founding story of OppFi.
• Why he started the company with a physical store front.
• How the pandemic really turbo charged the business.
• Why they decided to go public.
• How being public has changed their business.
• For underwriting, why understanding the primary bank account is critical.
• Details of their Turn Up program.
• The impact of the entry of banks into the small dollar loan space.
• What the consumer advocate don't understand about small-dollar lending.
• What happens when states, such as Illinois, ban higher APR small-dollar lending.
• Why they are focused on the states when it comes to engaging with regulators.
• How they make sure that OppFi customers end up better off financially.

Connect with Todd on LinkedIn
Connect with OppFi on LinkedIn

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• Find previous Fintech One-on-One episodes